{ Life moves on, whether we're ready to or not - Blogtober 2018 }

One minute you are living life as it is, comfortable, normal, familiar, then in just a split second, it changes.

I was thinking about this very thing, the fact that something heartbreaking happens, something that hurts so deeply that you feel like there is no way you can get past it.  You question how people can continue like nothing happened, wanting them to understand the pain you are in, but the truth of the matter is that life does go on.

The world doesn't stop spinning and things remain the same.  The house looks the same, the routines stay the same, you still need to cook and clean, do laundry, go to work, go to school and so on.



So I've allowed myself to grieve, as I always do, and there are still moments throughout the day that I find myself looking at the spot where Bella used to lay, and I choke up.  Her last breath is still so fresh in my mind, I replay it over and over.....I wish I didn't, but I can't help my mind going there.

It's a difficult place to be in, but it's life.

I have a family and a house that continue to need my attention, so I'm back at it, the usual stay at home mom grind, and I'm so happy that I have this familiar routine to get back to, it helps.

This past long weekend, we took the time to rest, catch up on some shows, do the things we felt like, and even manage to start working on giving the garage a good clean and reorganize.

My Sunday mornings usually start in the same way, after coffee and some breakfast, I make my bed, open the blinds and curtains and turn on Pastor Steven Furtick.  He goes live every Sunday morning for his sermon and I am absolutely loving it.

I love the way he preaches, he seems to know exactly how to get through and what to say.  I take notes, I jot down the bible verses and read and re-read them.  It's helped me so much.

Monday, Curt and I got started on the garage.  It's something we've been putting off because it's overwhelming and it's a big job, and honestly when the weekend comes we would rather be doing anything other than cleaning, going through boxes, and reorganizing.  But, we needed to get our mind off Bella, and being in the house wasn't helping.

Some of the boxes in the garage contain some of the kid's belongings, things like plushy toys or random bits and bobs that they no longer played with.  But they're things that they have an emotional attachment to, so I had them go through a few of boxes and pick what they wanted to hold on to.

They chose some of their favorite plushies, mementos that they want to keep to one day pass on to their own children.

I gave all the plushies a good wash and then hung them to dry on the clothes rack.  It's funny how each of these brings back a certain memory for me :)

The temperatures have dropped, finally, which means the air conditioner doesn't even get to come on, and for that I'm so thankful.  I'm trying to cut down on our electric bill, so as I mentioned before, there are small things that I do to avoid using big power eaters.

The clothes take a little longer to dry, especially with the rain outside, but I don't mind, and it saves using the dryer.

I got some baking done this afternoon.  Old overripe bananas needing to be used up, so out came Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins.  Yum!!!

I also set beans out to soak all day so that I could cook them for dinner tonight.  And I made some eggs in the pressure cooker for a recipe from the new cookbook that I'll be reviewing soon.



I have a great bean recipe coming up for you tomorrow.  Another pressure cooker winner, for sure.  Actually tonight's dinner was a huge hit, my husband even said "I really needed a good yummy meal like that, thank you."

Sometimes the best dinners are those from your childhood, those that are comforting and don't take a lot to throw together.  You can create amazing meals by throwing a few things together, and often it's the simplest combinations that make the yummiest food. 

My daughter once asked me how do I know how to cook, like how do I know what goes with what, and I explained to her that once you start cooking, you start learning what ingredient goes with what, and you will know what works and what doesn't.

One thing I do when I cook, and I honestly don't think I've ever really mentioned it, and for no other reason than I just didn't think it mattered.....is that I use a mortar and pestle.  Garlic, olive oil, salt, even chilies, I usually give them a good mix together.  If you don't know, using a mortar and pestle to mush up the garlic and other spices you're going to use, is one of the best ways to bring out the flavor.

Honestly, try it next time you're making dinner, you'll be surprised.

I also received two new books for review, both of which I can't wait to read.  The one above reminds me of Jamie from Outlander, and I do so enjoy a good romance involving Scotsmen. 

But the one I'm really and I mean super excited about reading, is this one from Sarah McCoy *Marilla of Green Gables*.  Oh my goodness!!

It follows the life of Marilla Cuthbert as a young spinster.  Now if you love Green Gables as much as I do, then you can understand how excited I am to give this one a go. 

So there you have it, you're now caught up on the past few days around my little home.

I also took some time to visit all the Happy Homemaker Monday participants and update the food blog with 3 new recipes for you all, go on over and take a look :)   I'll have some new recipes up tomorrow as well.

Well friends, I'm going to end this one, and go watch Manifest, which by the way, is a really good show.

Have a great night :)